Curved Horizontal Wellbore for Hydrogen Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for large-scale hydrogen storage face challenges due to the unavailability of suitable salt dome formations and undesirable losses in depleted oil and gas formations, leading to inefficiencies and limitations in hydrogen storage capacity.
Innovation Solution
The use of horizontally drilled wells with curved wellbore paths, such as sinusoidal or helical designs, combined with hydraulic fracturing to create fracture networks in non-permeable formations, enhances hydrogen storage capacity by promoting fracture stress interference and increasing the surface area for gas storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional storage methods (salt domes, depleted oil and gas formations) are used, then hydrogen storage capacity is limited by availability and location, but the loss of hydrogen occurs due to leak off and chemical reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes a porous formation with controlled permeability to store hydrogen. The porous structure provides a large surface area for hydrogen storage while the controlled permeability prevents excessive leak-off. The formation is treated to optimize its porous characteristics, creating a balance between storage capacity and hydrogen retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the formation by applying treatments to modify permeability, porosity, and chemical composition. These parameter changes enable the formation to effectively store hydrogen by reducing leak-off and chemical reactions while maintaining adequate flow rates.
2Quantity of substance
If horizontally drilled wells with curved wellbore paths are used, then fracture stress interference increases and storage capacity improves, but wellbore complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curved wellbore paths including sinusoidal and helical configurations instead of straight horizontal wells. These curved paths increase the surface area interaction with the formation and promote fracture stress interference, thereby enhancing hydrogen storage capacity. The curvature is optimized to balance storage benefits with drilling feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The wellbore is segmented into multiple sections with different orientations and curvatures. This segmentation allows each section to serve specific functions - some sections maximize fracture interference while others facilitate drilling and completion. The segmented approach manages overall complexity by breaking down the challenging curved wellbore into manageable segments.
3Area of stationary object
If hydraulic fracturing is used to create fracture networks, then surface area for gas storage increases, but the process complexity and potential harmful effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic fracturing treatment is applied locally at specific intervals along the curved wellbore path rather than uniformly throughout. This localized approach creates discrete fracture networks that maximize surface area for hydrogen storage while minimizing the overall impact on the formation. The treatment parameters are optimized for each local zone based on formation characteristics.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly increases the volumetric capacity and conductive flowrate of hydrogen storage, reducing economic costs and overcoming location-dependent limitations of traditional storage methods.
Implementation Method 1
combined with hydraulic fracturing to create fracture networks in non-permeable formations, enhances hydrogen storage capacity by promoting fracture stress interference
Implementation Method 2
horizontally drilled wells with curved wellbore paths, such as sinusoidal or helical designs, combined with hydraulic fracturing to create fracture networks in non-permeable formations, enhances hydrogen storage capacity by promoting fracture stress interference and increasing the surface area for gas storage
Implementation Method 3
a fractured volume of the subterranean formation comprising a volume of proppant within a fracture network
Data Source
AI summary
A method of constructing a storage well for an energy production system comprising determining a fractured volume of the storage well with a curved wellbore by inputting the curved wellbore path, a set of formation properties, and a fracturing operation, into a fracturing model. The curved wellbore path can promote fracture interference between fracture stresses extending from the storage wellbore path. The energy production system can inject a volume of compressed gas into the fractured volume via the storage wellbore or produce a volume of gas from the fractured volume. A design process can iterate the curved wellbore path of the storage well to create a fractured volume of the storage well greater than a threshold value.